London Co. of Virginia Trims Stake in Lamb Weston $LW

London Co. of Virginia reduced its holdings in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,969,879 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 108,912 shares during the quarter. London Co. of Virginia’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $83,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arnhold LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 710.2% in the 4th quarter. Arnhold LLC now owns 38,217 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,601,000 after buying an additional 33,500 shares during the last quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 89,991 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,770,000 after acquiring an additional 27,835 shares during the last quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth $1,264,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Lamb Weston by 349.1% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 690,493 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,180,000 after acquiring an additional 536,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth $5,900,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Lamb Weston this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lamb Weston beat fiscal Q4 earnings and revenue estimates, with stronger North American volume driving the top line. Lamb Weston (LW) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company issued FY 2027 guidance that implies modest growth and revenue above consensus, suggesting management confidence in the turnaround. Lamb Weston earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: Management said higher production and cost savings are helping offset inflation and geopolitical disruptions, but those headwinds are still affecting international sales. Seeking Alpha news
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious despite the beat, with at least one downgrade saying the stock may be past the worst but still faces meaningful challenges. Lamb Weston: Passing The Bottom, But Challenges Remain (Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: International weakness, inflation, and geopolitical volatility continue to pressure margins and could limit how quickly earnings improve. Lamb Weston Posts Higher Sales on North America Growth

Lamb Weston Price Performance

LW stock opened at $49.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.83, a P/E/G ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $44.73 and its 200 day moving average is $44.25. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $37.62 and a 52 week high of $67.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.46.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.24. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Lamb Weston has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.950-3.250 EPS. Research analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 71.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on Lamb Weston from $48.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.27.

Lamb Weston Profile

Lamb Weston, traded on the NYSE under the symbol LW, is a leading global processor and supplier of frozen potato products. The company’s portfolio includes a variety of potato-based items such as French fries, potato wedges, hash browns and specialty cuts tailored to the foodservice and retail grocery channels. Lamb Weston serves quick-service restaurants, full-service operators, grocery chains and food distributors, offering customized product formats, packaging solutions and seasoning options to meet evolving customer demands.

Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Eagle, Idaho, Lamb Weston has grown from a regional processor into one of the world’s largest producers of frozen potato products.